Part I: Great Guana Cay three
years after the fight began

Cuban emeralds glitter at the traditional settlement of Great Guana Cay.

I am on a boat, tied to a dock in a bay on the tiny island of Great Guana Cay in the Northern Bahamas.  Troy Albury is untying lines and points out a Caribbean reef squid taking shelter under the dock. 

These animals, hued in purple and electric orange, can be difficult to spot during the day – their bodies are brilliant but translucent. 

The mark of a good divemaster is observation – the ability to notice everything.  But I am not here to dive with Mr. Albury.  When I was young, I dove and snorkeled Great Guana Cay’s reef for eight years.  But not with Troy.  Back then, we were both teenagers, and Troy lived in Nassau, several islands south of Abaco.

Troy, like many islanders on Great Guana Cay, works barefoot.  His t-shirt is frayed at the edges, and his hands are stained faintly with motor grease.  A part for one of his boat engines just failed, and so he flew to Miami and bought two tickets for the return flight.  One for him, one for the part.  Troy works tirelessly at his job.  Being the divemaster on the island of Great Guana Cay is an important one; diving is central to the economy of this island, for Great Guana Cay holds what may be the most spectacular reef in the Bahamas.

As we ferry across the small bay, Troy explains the difficulties of maintaining the dive season and the fight against the Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club at the same time.  As President of Save Guana Cay Reef, Troy has become a central figure in one of the most controversial environmental battles in the history of the West Indies.

 

Maps and Journals Great Guana Cay Map West Indies Map

West Indies The Eyes of the West Indies Three years after it all began, Notes from the Road examines the ragtag Guana Cay Baker's Bay controversy as a dozen West Indies nations watch the court drama unfold. Chub Rock Wreck A moray eel attacks at a shipwreck. Hopetown and the Mystery of Island Settlement The Abaco cay as a discussion about Bahamian castaways, and settling distant outposts. Green Turtle Cay A short piece on the history of this Abaco Cay. barrier Reef A dive outside Abaco's barrier reef. Sunday Drive in the Dominican Republic A Sunday drive in the Dominican Republic Driving to Sandy Point Driving to Sandy Point, a southern town on the island of Abaco. Southern St. Lucia: The Botanical History of the Antilles Part I: The Botanical History of the Antilles Old San Juan: The Botanical History of the Antilles Part II: The Botanical History of the Antilles North saint lucia: The Botanical History of the Antilles Part III: The Botanical History of the Antilles Plastic Pirate Ships A visit to the Guana Cay settlement, a look at the island's history, leading up to the day Disney abandoned it. Introduction to the Bakers Bay Conflict Introduction to the 'Rise Up Sweet Island' series, covering the fight between a small Bahamian island and an American golf course developer, whose golf course threatens their way of life and island ecology. Rise Up Sweet Island The blog that covers up-to-date news on the Guana Cay golf couse fight

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